Team USA

[beki]

OmNom said:

woah

 

Aww, now I'm getting sad Meryl and Charlie aren't coming back. It's know it's right for them... but they've still got it!

[xeyra]

The Shibs will be skating to Paradise by Coldplay (for the FD?)

 

[ShiroKJ]

 

 

[breadstal]

I'm so curious about Polina's form, I hope her jumps are still there :sadPooh:

[ShiroKJ]

I'm so curious about Polina's form, I hope her jumps are still there :sadPooh:

 

She was seen doing a triple (TL?) recently so it looks like she's gearing to come back for the Olympic season.

[Yatagarasu]

If she can get her jumps back, she has a legit shot of getting an Olympic ticket. It's going to be interesting how these things shake out there. I think Ashley and Karen may have a slight advantage right now, Ashley especially I would think, but the third spot ... uh oh.

[yuzuangel]

Hopefully Polina is over her bone bruise injury. The last time I saw her, maybe six months ago(?) she was still injured and couldn't do any triples.

 

That said, I would rather have Mirai on the team than Polina. With Gracie being so out of shape, that third spot is wide, wide open, someone really needs to step up and take it. If any of Mirai/Polina/Mariah doesn't deliver next season they have no one to blame but themselves.

[Yatagarasu]

Hopefully Polina is over her bone bruise injury. The last time I saw her, maybe six months ago(?) she was still injured and couldn't do any triples.

 

That said, I would rather have Mirai on the team than Polina. With Gracie being so out of shape, that third spot is wide, wide open, someone really needs to step up and take it. If any of Mirai/Polina/Mariah doesn't deliver next season they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

A bone bruise is a nasty injury that lasts so hopefully! Fingers crossed.

 

I'm cheering for Mirai too, the more time passes and we get these news, the more her decision to start working on that 3A seems like a wise choice. I do think she'll need it, considering how everything is panning out. Even if she falls, providing it's rotated fully, and her other triples are clear, she's going to reap the benefits. As always, but especially here, it'll depend on who delivers when the time is right but personally, I hope Mirai gets a good start on the GP circuit and has a nice little rep boost from it before Nats.

[sallycinnamon]

Something to lighten the mood (and it's beautiful):

 

Karen always has the best props! :love:

 

Two gorgeous pictures, thanks for posting them. :love:

 

-

 

I'd love to see Gracie back in good form next season, even if it seems now that the chances are low. But I haven't given up on her yet. <3

 

If not her, then it would be really good to see Mirai back to the Olympic Games, after eight years.

[beki]

http://figureskatersonline.com/news/201 ... ice-debut/

Looking ahead to the Olympic season, Nathan says he is not yet sure if he will return to Canton, Michigan to work with Marina Zoueva, who choreographed his well-received short program this past season.

 

“I kind of want to try new people this year, but I have to talk to my team and see if that’s a good decision or not,” he explained.

 

Without giving too much away, Nathan says he is hoping to do something more upbeat for his short program and something a little bit slower for his free skate. In terms of the number of quads he’s planning to do next year, fans shouldn’t be surprised if he tries to go for lucky number seven in his free skate. Nathan says he is always trying to push himself further.

 

“As soon as I’m successful with one (quad), I try to do another and another. Once I’m able to successfully do six, maybe I’ll push it, who knows, but at the moment, I think it is really just learning how to train that sort of program because you can’t really train it every day,” Nathan stated.

Surprising = no Marina?

Not surprising = QUADS

 

This strategy... hmmm. I mean, I know his plan is to push on the technical side, and there's logic to that, even if it won't lead to longevity. But dissing Marina just seems like giving up on the PCS side, to me anyway.

[xeyra]

http://figureskatersonline.com/news/2017/05/12/karen-chen-and-nathan-chen-make-stars-on-ice-debut/

Surprising = no Marina?

Not surprising = QUADS

 

This strategy... hmmm. I mean, I know his plan is to push on the technical side, and there's logic to that, even if it won't lead to longevity. But dissing Marina just seems like giving up on the PCS side, to me anyway.

If he's thinking of 7 quads, PCS aren't going to be his priority. Skating past 2018 probably not either. The judges will help out on the PCS if he keeps delivering the TES, though.

Not going back to Marina doesn't necessarily mean he's not going to work with someone else who will help him in that department. The problem is that there's not much that can be done there if he does decide he wants to go for those 7-quads. I mean, I already don't think there's much of a program with 6-quads, let alone one more.

[beki]

Well, yeah. It's full-on TES, very honest. Not an approach I enjoy—I was hoping against hope he'd be a little more well-rounded, even though there isn't enough time for it. It's his best chance... but not to my taste.

 

Is it any surprise I love Yuzu most?

Quote

I myself started jumping the (quad) loop and I felt I must make a harder layout. I discussed with Brian and this layout was done, but if I think back, I am not the type that does difficult jumps. Rather, I am a skater that makes a programme doing beautiful jumps properly, and also doing expressions well, and also doing spins precisely. At today’s practice, I did a quad lutz, but rather than working hard at things like that, I am feeling that maybe it is better to expand on the things that I want to express and the jumps that I can do with a good feeling.

[xeyra]

beki said:

Well, yeah. It's full-on TES, very honest. Not an approach I enjoy—I was hoping against hope he'd be a little more well-rounded, even though there isn't enough time for it. It's his best chance... but not to my taste.

 

Is it any surprise I love Yuzu most?

Quote

I myself started jumping the (quad) loop and I felt I must make a harder layout. I discussed with Brian and this layout was done, but if I think back, I am not the type that does difficult jumps. Rather, I am a skater that makes a programme doing beautiful jumps properly, and also doing expressions well, and also doing spins precisely. At today’s practice, I did a quad lutz, but rather than working hard at things like that, I am feeling that maybe it is better to expand on the things that I want to express and the jumps that I can do with a good feeling.

I agree. But unfortunately the TES strategy might just defeat the rounded approach in the end, depending on what happens on the day. Nathan has a lot of potential; his junior programs, his EX numbers, they all show that he is musical and can work on those components (even if I do continue to think his knees are still rather stiff regardless) but 6-7 quad FS won't leave room for much else, including all this potential he might have.

[yuzuangel]

beki said:

Well, yeah. It's full-on TES, very honest. Not an approach I enjoy—I was hoping against hope he'd be a little more well-rounded, even though there isn't enough time for it. It's his best chance... but not to my taste.

 

Is it any surprise I love Yuzu most?

Quote

I myself started jumping the (quad) loop and I felt I must make a harder layout. I discussed with Brian and this layout was done, but if I think back, I am not the type that does difficult jumps. Rather, I am a skater that makes a programme doing beautiful jumps properly, and also doing expressions well, and also doing spins precisely. At today’s practice, I did a quad lutz, but rather than working hard at things like that, I am feeling that maybe it is better to expand on the things that I want to express and the jumps that I can do with a good feeling.

 

I think it's a smart decision.

 

I think if he works on SS he might lose his quads during the transition period (i.e. Boyang, earlier this season). And his SS/PCS won't ever increase enough in time to challenge Yuzu/Javi. But if he doesn't work on SS/PCS at all, he needs to improve still -- so more quads.

[unicorn]

I also think it's a smart decision for Nathan to go for 7 quads, especially as he's aiming for the top of the Olympic podium, perhaps with plans to move on from this sport and pursue medicine/education, but I don't think it's a plan that endears his skating to more people who wish for more balanced programs from him. If he's not going for Marina Zoueva, who I think really plays up the classical aspect of him, I think a Jeffrey Buttle short would be good for him, but I hope Jeff saves the best for Yuzuru